Wire-straightener.



A. H. NELLER.

WIRE STRAIGHTENER.

APPLICATION FILED 001'. 21, 1909.

1,054,022. Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

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WIT/786686.; [77 w nforx A. H. NELLER.

WIRE STRAIGHTENER.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 21, 1909.

1,054,022, Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

2 SEEETS-SHEET 2.

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' TED sTns EAT v ALBERT H. HELLER, 0F FAIBEIELD, IOWA, ASSIGNOR T0LOUDEN MACHINERY COMPANY, OF FAIBFIELD, IQWA; A CORPORATIONQF. IOWA.

WIBE-STBAIGETE KER.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentedl eb. 2 5, 1913.-

Application filed October 21, 1909. Serial No. 523,908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT H. NELLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at F airfield, in the county of Jefierson and State of Iowa,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Vire-Straighteners, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for straightening wire from the coil,and it consists of means for holding a coil of wire in a verticalloosely hanging position and taking the wire to the straighteningmechanism from the upper edge of the coil, also,'of an improved form ofthe straightening apparatus, and in other features set forth in thisspecification, and more definitely pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a .part of this specification,Figure 1 is a perthe framework being broken away. Fig. 3

is a transverse section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a cross sectionon line 4-4 of Fig. 3, the ends of the framework being broken away. Fig.5 is a transverse section on line 55 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is the same online 66 of Fig. 1, the ends being broken away. Figs. 7 and 8aresectional detail views which will be explained here ina-fter.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a timber to which a post- B andlegs C are attached, forming in efiect a frame or trestle. D is a rollermounted at one side of the trestle on a laterally projecting horizontalldisposed axle E, as shown most plainly in ig. 7, which is a transversesection of the roller D near its outer end. This axle is preferablytubular and is driven into or The coil of wire ii is placed upon theroller D and one of its ends is passed around guide sheaves G and G, theformer being attached by an iron to the post '13 near its lower end, andthe latter, to iron plates M secured to the outer end of the timber A.

From the sheave G the end of the wire is passed to the straighteningapparatus which consists essentially of three geared wheels H, I and J,adjustably mounted so the wire may be passed between them.

These wheels are each provided with a deep groove in the center, asmost. plainly shown in Fig. 8, which is a horizontal section through thecenter of the wheel H, showing its immediate connections. The wheel H ismounted on an axle which is preferably held in place by two straps ofiron K, se-

cured to the timber A, one on each side,-

with the axle between their upper ends. The wheel J is mounted on anaxle secured to a lever L which is pivoted to the timber A. It; ispreferably composed of a bar of iron having its lower end forked so thatthe wheel J may be mounted on an axle between the forks and that theseends may straddle the upper edge of the timber A and be pivoted thereto.

The wheel I is mounted on an axle which is secured between the adjacentends of two sets of iron strapsN and 0, one member of each set being oneach side of the wheel I.- The other ends of the straps LT are jointedlyconnected to the outer ends ofthe axle upon which the wheel H ismounted, and the other ends of. the straps O are connected in a similarmanner to the outer ends of the axle upon which the wheel J is mounted.

The lower end of one of the forked ends of the lever L is extendeddown'below the timber A and is provided with a spring pressed pawl Pwhich is adapted to engage and beheld by a'rack .Q secured to the postB. The upper end of the lever is fitted with a hand piece R which isconnected to the pawl by a rod 1' in the usual way. In Fig.1, the mainpart of the lever L passes on the rear'side' of the timber A, while inbe raised and lowered. ln bringing the wheels H and J closer togetherwith the lever, and raising the wheel I, the space between them made bythe grooves in the wheels, will be increased so that the end of thecoiled wire may be readily inserted therein. By bringing the lever backso as to move the wheel J away from the wheel H and thus lowering thewheel I, the bot tom of its groove will press the wlre against thebottoms of the grooves in the wheels H and J, :40 as to take out thebend of the coil and leave the wire apprb imately straight, as shown inFig. 2.

By separating the wheels H and J too far and bringing the wheel l downtoo much, a bend may be made in the wire in the opposite direction butthis is regulated approximately by the pawl P and rack Q, which may beset to hold the wheels in the proper position to straighten the wire. Asa further means of adjustment. a guide sheave S is mounted in a standardT which is adiustably secured to the timber A. By this ineans the sheavemay be adjusted up or down so the wire in passing under it will be madeapproximately straight. It is necessary that the wheel be set low enoughto spring the wire slightly in the opposite direct-ion to make up torits rec-o l or its spring backward when released. Tlns will bring thewire up against the sheave which may then be adjusted exactly to theproper position to properly straighten the wire.

The adjustment of the standard 'lis pretcrablv made by a coiled spring Uand a thumb-screw Y, the former being adapted to raise the standard T-and the latter to lower it. An adjustment sidewise may also be providedfor it necessary. The wire is carried through the wheels by means ofpower applied to one of them. preferably the wheel H. In Figs. 1 and 8 acrank X is shown connected to the axle of wheel H by means of which themachine may be operated. The machine is also preferably provided with agage and means for cutting off the wire in desired lengths. A piece ofhardened steel Y having a hole with a cutting edge through which thewire passes is secured to the upper portion of the stand ard T. Anotherpiece of hardened steel 2 having a similar hole is pivoted to the pieceY by means of a pin or axle 3 so the holes will coincide while in normalposition. The lower end of the piece :2 is elongated and a lever 4having a curved upper end 5 is pivoted to it. The wire being in thehole, and the lever 4: being raised, the end 5 will come in contact withthe side of the standard T and the cutter 2 will turn in the form of anangle or V in cross section to receive and hold the straightened wire,is atlixed to the rear end of the timber A, and a gage T is adjustablysecured to this bar. The gage is preferably fitted with a clamping piece8 adapted to catch over and slide on the bar 6 and a set-screw 9 to holdthe gage in position on the bar. To hold the machine in position and toprevent it from upsetting with a heavy coil of wire on the roller at oneside, braces or stays 10 are securedto the post B and legs C. Thesebraces are provided with an opening near the center through which athreaded hook bolt 11 having a threaded nut is passed. A screw eye 12 isfastened to the floor or to a timber below and the hook f the bolt 11 isinserted in the eye of the screw as shown in Fig. 1. In straighteningcoils of wire of different sizes the guide sheave G may be placed higheror lower on the post B to suit the size of the coil. Also the guidesheave G may be set in or out to suit the size of the coil by adjustingthe plate M in or out on the timber A. In this way a coil of wire ofdifferent sizes may be hung upon the roller D without having to berewound or made to lit the roller and one of its ends passed around theguide sheaves G and G and through the wheels H, I and J where it isstraightened. then through the holes in the cutter blades 2 and Y and tothe gage 7, so that it may be cut in pieces of uniform lengths; or itwanted to straighten the wire only, the cutters and the gage may bedispensed with. This is a simple easily operated machine and will do itswork well either tor straightening alone. or to straighten and cut thewire to lengths.

llhat I claim is:

l. in a wire straightening machine, a frame, a roller having one freeend mount ed on an axle secured in a horizontal position to one side of.the frame and adapted to receive and support a coil of wire at the sideof the frame in a vertical. loosely hanging position. and a series ofwire straighten ing wheels vertically set on an upper part of the frameand adapted to receive the wire above the upper edge of the coil.

in a wire straightening machine, a frame, a roller having one free endmounted on an axle secured in a horizontal position to one side of theframe and adapted to receive and support a coil of wire at the side ofthe frame in a vertical, loosely hanging position, a series of wirestraightening wheels mounted in a vertical position on an upper part ofthe frame, and a grooved roller to guide the wire to the straighteningwheels above the upper edge of the coil.

In a wire straightening machine, a finale, a roller having one free endmounted on an axle secured in a horizontal posi-.

tion to one side of the frame and adapted to receive and support a coilof wire at the side of the frame in a vertical, loosely hangingposition, a flange on the outer end of said roller, and a series of wirestraighten-- ing wheels vertically set on an upper part of the frame andadapted to receive the wire from above the upper edge of the coil.

4., In a wire straightening machine, a frame, a series of adjustablymounted wheels adapted to straighten a wire when passedbetween them, aroller mounted on atubular axle secured to the frame and having a guardat its outer end consisting of a rod bent and having its ends doubledtogether and driven into the outer end of the tubular axle, so as tohold the coil on the roller and in position to deliver to the wirestraightening wheels.

5. In a wire straightener, three gear "wheels provided with a groove intheir centers and mounted on axles. in the same lateral alinement so thegears will mesh together, the wheel at one end of the series beingmounted on a stationary axle, and the axle of the wheel at the oppositeend being secured to a lever pivoted to the frame of the machine, themovement of which lever will cause the latter wheel to move toward oraway from the former, the central wheel being mounted on an axle pivotedto the inner ends of two sets of straps, the outer ends of said strapsbeing pivoted respectively to the axle of-the stationary wheel and tothe axle of the wheel secured to the lever, so that the movement of thelever will cause the central wheel to rise and fall, means to guide thewire into the'groove between the wheels, and means to rotate the wheelsand thus to straighten the wire.

6. In a wire straightener, three gear wheels provided with a groove intheir centers and mounted on axles in the same lateral alinement so thegears will mesh together, the wheel at one .end of the series beingmounted on a stationary axle, and the axle of the wheel at the oppositeend being secured to a lever pivoted to the frame of the machine, themovement of which lever willcause the latter wheel to move toward oraway from the former, the central wheel being mounted on an axle pivotedto the inner ends of two sets of straps, the outer ends of said strapsbeing pivoted respectively to the axle of the stationary wheel and tothe axle of the wheel secured to the lever, so that the movement of thelever will cause the central wheel to rise and fall, means to guide awire into the groove between the wheels, and means to rotate the wheelsand thus to straighten the wire.

7. In a wire straightener, three gear wheels provided with a groove intheir centers and mounted on axles in the same lateral alinement so thegears will mesh together, the wheel at one end of the series beingmounted on a stationary axle, and the axle of the wheel at the oppositeend being secured to a lever pivoted to the frame of the machine, themovement of which lever will cause the latter wheel to move toward orawayfrom the former, the central wheel being mounted on the. axlepivoted to the inner ends of two sets of straps, the outer ends of saidstraps being pivoted respectively to the axle of the stationary wheeland to the axle of the wheel secured to the lever, so that the movementof the lever will cause the central wheel to rise and fall, a roller tohold a coil of wire, means to guide the end of the wire into the groovebetween the wheels, ani ine ans to rotate the wheels and thus tostraighten the wire.

8. In a wire straightener, three gear wheels provided with a groove intheir centers and mounted, on axles in the 'same 'lateral alinement sothe gears will mesh to--- gether, the wheel at one end of the seriesbeing mounted on a stationary axle, and the axle of the wheel at theopposite end being secured to a. lever pivoted to the frame of themachine, the movement of which level". will cause the latter wheel tomove toward or away from the former, the central wheel being mounted onan axle pivoted to, the in ner ends of two sets of straps, the outerends ofsaid strap bein'g'pivoted respectively to the axle of thestationary wheel and to the axle of the wheel secured to the lever, so

that the movement of the lever will cause the central wheel to rise andfall, means to guide a wire into thegroove between the wheels, and acrank secured to the axle of one of the wheels to rotate them and thusto straighten the wire.

9. In a wire straightener, a frame, a roller adapted to carry a roll ofwire secured to one side of the frame, a gear wheel having a groove inits center mounted upon a stationary axle upon the frame, a leverpivoted to the frame, a gear wheel having a groove in its center mountedon an axle secured to the lever so the movement of the lever will causeit to move toward and away from the stationary wheel, -a central gearwheel also having a groove in its center mounted on an axle jointedlysecured to the adjacent ends of two sets of straps, the opposite ends ofsaid straps being jointedly secured respectively to the lever and to theaxle of the stationary wheel, so that the movement of the lever willraise and lower the central wheel, said wheels being in alinementlaterally so they will mesh with each other,

means forguiding the wire into the groove my axle upon the frame, alever pivoted to the frame, a gear wheel having a groove in its centermounted on an axle secured to-the lever so the movement of the leverwill cause it to move toward and away from the stationary wheel, acentral gear wheel also having a groove in its center mounted on an axlejointedly secured to the adjacent ends of two sets of straps, theopposite ends of said straps being jointedly secured respectively to thelever and to the axle of the stationary wheel, so that the movement ofthe lever will raise and lower the central wheel, said wheels being inalinement laterally so they will mesh with each other, means for guidingthe wire into the groove between the wheels, and means to rotate thewheels, a pawl secured to the lower end of the lever, and a rack securedto the frame adjacent to the pawl so as to engage it and thus to holdthe wheels in proper relation to each other to straighten the Wire. i

' 11. In a device of the character described, a frame, a roller ononeside of the frame adapted to carry a coil of wire, straightening wheelsmounted on the top of the frame,

7 having means to conduct the wire into and through the wheels, astandard carrying a guide roller secured to the frame in the rear of thestraightening wheels, a spring interposed between the-upper part of thestandard and the frame piece on which it is mounted, and a thumb-screwpassed through the lower part of the standard and bearing against thelower side of the frame.

12. In a device of the character described, a horizontally disposedroller mounted on one side of a frame, and having one free end adaptedto receive and support a coil of wire in a loosely hanging verticalposition, wire straightening wheels mounted on the upper part of theframe, means to conduct the wire through the wheels, and a guide rollerto further adjust the alinement of the wire after passing through thestraightening wheels.

18. In a device of the character described, having a horizontallydisposed roller mount-- ed on one side of a frame, and having one freeend adapted to receive and support a coil of wire in a loosely hangingvertical position, wire straightening wheels mounted on the upper partof the frame, means to conduct the wire through the wheels, a guideroller mounted on a standard secured to the frame to further adjust thealinement of the Wire after passingthrough the wheels, and a wire cuttersecured. to the standard.

14. In a device of the character described, having a horizontallydisposed roller mounted on one side of a frame, and having one free endadapted to receive and support a coil of wire in a loosely'hanging.vertical position, wire straightening wheels mounted on the upper partof the frame, means to conduct the wire through the Wheels, a cutterplaced in the path of the wire, an extended bar in line with the wireafter passing through the straightening wheels, and a gage adjustableupon the bar to set the lengths of the wire to be out.

15. In a device of the character described, having a horizontallydisposed roller mounted on one side of a frame, and having one free endadapted to receive and support a coil of wire in. a loosely hangingvertical position, wire straightening wheels mounted on the upper partof the frame, means to conduct the wire through the wheels, and a barextended in line with the wire after passing through the straighteningWheels made with a groove or recess in its upper face to receive andsupport the straightened wire. 7

16. In a wire straightening machine having wire -straightening meansmounted thereon, a horizontally disposed roller having a free end andadapted to receive and support a coil of wire in a loosely hangingvertical position, mounted on one side of the machine, and means toguide'one end of the coiled strands of the wire into the straight; eningmechanism.

17 In a device of the character described, a horizontally disposedtimber carrying wire straightening wheels and supported by a verticalpost, a roller having a free end to receive and support a looselyhanging coil 'of wire, mounted on an axle set in a horizontal positionat one side of the timber and post, and approximately at right anglesthereto, and sheaves for receiving and guiding a strand of the wire intothe straightening wheels, one of the sheaves being mounted on thevertical post and the other secured to the horizontal timber in positionto suit the size of the coil of Wire.

Fair-field, Iowa, October lt), 1909.

ALBERT H. NELLER. lVitnesses LAURA J. KAMP,

H. G. KING.

